10 FILMS OF WINTER 2001

While Summer 2001 was very dismal in way of movies, Winter looks to be pretty packed with good, entertaining, and Oscar worthy material. So What I've done here is assembled a list of ten movies that I will definitely see, and why you should see them as well. They are, by the way, in no particular order.

A Beautiful Mind In Theaters: 12/25 (Limited), 1/4/02 (Wide) The Oscar buzz surrounding this picture is enormous. Test screenings have scored extremely high and Ron Howard is itching for a nomination and Oscar for his mantle. So what else does it have going for it? Well a great cast for one: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly. All three are actors to the extreme. Crowe is said to have gotten so involved in his character that months after shooting had stopped he had nightmares...sounds like he's back into it. Connelly's last movie was the amazing Requiem For A Dream and Harris' work speaks for itself. So this is definitely one to check out. For More on: A Beautiful Mind

Ali In Theaters: 12/25 Highly acclaimed director Michael Mann follows up the brilliant The Insider with this biopic on the famed boxer Muhammed Ali, and a tulmutuos period in his life. It is not a life story, but it covers a short span of his life according to reports. Early word on the film is that Will Smith looks amazingly like the boxer, but doesn't sound like him. Personally I'll trust anything from Michael Mann, who also directed Heat. Ali could possibly be the type of film that sneaks up from out of nowhere and pack a punch that could give it serious Oscar legs.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone In Theaters: 11/16 This is quite possibly one of the most highly anticipated "kids" movies of all time. Most people know the books (I've never read one), but millions of other people have and that is one hell of a fan base. It doesn't matter who is in it, this movie is going to kill at the box office. Christopher Columbus directs while rumblings are coming out of Hollywood that Steven Spielberg wants to direct the third film. The second is already heavily into pre-production, so pretty much Warners has a lock on the fantasy/kids genre for the next couple of years.

Vanilla Sky In Theaters: 12/14 Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) has shrouded this story in so much mystery that not much is known about the story. It is know that it is a remake of the Spanish film Abre Los Ojos which starred Penelope Cruz, who is also in Vanilla Sky. What is truly the question on most people's minds is will Cruise and Cruz share as much chemistry on screen as they do in real life? Cameron Diaz costars in the film, and Crowe rarely fails at making a good movie.

Shallow Hal In Theaters: 11/9 The Farrelly brothers are back with Shallow Hal the story of Hal (Jack Black) who only dates women based specifically on their looks. A spell is put on him and he begins to see the inner beauty. He can't see what they look like on the outside, only the inside. He meets Rosemary, (Gwyneth Paltrow), and falls in love with her, not realizing she is a BIG girl. What has mee wanting to see this film is the hilarious trailer and the Farrelly brothers track record. That and they are keeping what Gwyneth Paltrow looks like in a fat suit under wraps until release date.

Ocean's 11 In Theaters: 12/07 George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia: all in the same movie. All presumably because of director Steven Soderbergh, the man seems like he can pretty much do whatever he wants. This is the remake of the Rat Pack film about a group who decide to rob a casino. Which seems like Hollywood has an obsession with lately, remember 3000 Miles to Graceland and Reindeer Games. But anyway, early test screenings haven't exactly been great, but Soderbergh has a way of turning crap into beauty. So we'll see.

The Majestic In Theaters: 12/14 Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) steps outside prison walls and returns to directing. Here he tackles the subject of a blacklisted screenwriter who has amnesia and lands himself in bijou country. Early word is that star Jim Carrey is almost a complete Oscar nomination lock for his work here. Especially after the Academy has ignored him for both The Truman Show and Man on the Moon. I personally will trust anything Darabont does. Think about what he will be able to get out of the amazing Carrey.

The Royal Tenenbaums In Theaters: 12/25 From the creators of Rushmore comes the story of a family of geniuses, whose father (Gene Hackman) leaves them while they are still children. The children, when grown turn out to be none other than Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Owen Wilson. The hilarious preview and cult audience will obviously flock to this movie, but the real question is, will everyone else come? I'm guessing yes, the film has gotten stellar reviews and the script is said to be top-notch.

The Fellowship of the Ring In Theaters: 12/19 The trilogy begins here. Quite possibly the most anticapted fantasy series of all time comes to bear and it looks absolutely amazing. Peter Jackson whose previous work includes The Frighteners directed the three films in the series back to back to back for a consecutive year. Some say it is a big gamble to invest upwards of $300 million dollars into all the films before the first has even come out, but not only is the preview amazing, but the trilogy has millions of fans worldwide. Stars or no stars, this film will make millions and will be good, you have my seal of approval.

The Man Who Wasn't There In Theaters: 11/9 Joel and Ethan Coen return to the screen after their most successful film ever O' Brother Where Art Thou? with a black and white non-commercial film? Whoever says that that'll lose their creativity has absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The story involves a simple barber (Billy Bob Thornton) who learns that his wife (Frances McDormand) is having an affair with a very rich man (James Gandolfini). The barber doesn't really care, but realizes money is to be made and decides to blackmail him for $10,000 dollars. The trailer is spectacular and the Coens always make interesting stuff.

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All photos courtesy of premiere.com